*
TENTH TOWER GARDEN*
Imogen sat on a bench beside a chrysanthemum flower, holding Slade's ripped shirt to her chest.
She's hugging it, imagining it as him, his body pressed to hers and his hand all-over her body.
She was smiling with her eyes closed.
Posey and Ren are on each side of her, staring at her with scoffs on their faces.
"She's going insane" Posey muttered, shaking her head.
"Tell me about it, and it's so pitiful cos Slade is not seeing her at all" Ren chuckled.
One minute, Imogen was still sitting on the bench, but in the next minute, she was grabbing his neck.
She pushed him back, slamming him against a pine tree.
"Damn!" He groaned.
"Imogen stop it!" Posey shouted behind.
"Don't you ever say Slade's name in your mouth again" Imogen muttered, but then Ren turned the table, grabbing Imogen's throat too.
He was about to slam her to the ground when Ruslan entered the garden and tore them apart, kicking Ren away.
Ren crashed back to the tree, bleeding from the nose.
"Lady Lorraine wants you at the admin office" Ruslan told Imogen.
"Mother?" Imogen replied, rushing away.
Ruslan then faced Ren who's just standing up
"Touch her again, and I'll kill you" he threatened, leaving the garden too.
"Ren, are you ok?" Posey rushed to Ren, but he pushed her back angrily.
"When Imogen was slamming me, when the bastard Ruslan kicked me, what did you do? Nothing!" He spat, storming out.
"Baby" Posey ran after him.
*
ADMIN OFFICE*
"Mother" Imogen came in to meet Lorraine on seat, drinking elegantly from a coffee mug.
"Stop bothering Slade. It's an order" Lorraine said authoritatively without looking up from the mug.
"But I love him! You know I've loved him since i was young! He's my...
"If I see you around him again, I'll forget the fact that you're my daughter, and I'll wound you, Imogen" Lorraine interrupted, and Imogen gasped.
"Mother!"
The door opened wide, and the two guards came in holding Twilight.
"Well well...look who we have here" Imogen folded her arms, a shit-eating grin on her face.
"You forced your friend to come out of the room according to reports, and she got killed cos of you. You didn't read the back page of your admission letter? No 12am outing" Lorraine said sternly, dropping her mug on the small tray.
"I didn't read, and you're right, I caused her death. I should have tied her down, I should have tried harder" Twilight said weakly.
"You have a punishment to serve for it. Take her to the firewoods" Lorraine ordered, and the guards took her away.
"This could be interesting" Imogen smiled, following them out
*
CLOCK TOWER*
It's the tallest tower in the castle, but no one lives in it.
It was built only to accommodate the big clock.
On top of the tower, Slade stood like a king, staring down at the remaining towers. They look like clusters from this height.
He's changed into a black shirt and trousers already, and his musky scent swirled around him.
He's with his camera, but he's not snapping pictures of the black raven birds this time.
He lifted his shirt a bit, revealing the spot Twilight bit him on earlier, and that interesting look returned to his face.
Now this is game. Finally things are getting spicy.
"I know your masochistic self loves that bite" Tamlin's voice came behind him, and he let go of the shirt, finally making use of the camera.
The weather is turning colder and colder every second, and the sun seems like it's taking a break today, so it's definitely gonna rain.
"When are you gonna stop your killing spree?" Tamlin's voice came behind again.
Slade kept snapping pictures of the ravens, and that enraged Tamlin.
He snatched the camera and threw it down the tower.
Slade finally faced him with a smirk.
"You have no idea how pointless you look right now, do you?" He said.
"I don't give a shit, but if you don't stop your madness, I'll tell the university your big secret, the one you've been keeping since you were young. I'll blow it out of proportion and tell everyone your family history" Tamlin threatened.
"Do you need a public address system for the announcement? I'll sponsor it" Slade tilted his head.
"You fuçking madman!!" Tamlin raised his fist on Slade's face, but then a sudden thunder boomed, and it began raining.
"We'll finish this talk later" he glared, rushing down the stairs and leaving Slade there.
Getting down, he was surprised to see that students aren't running around and trying to get shelter from the rain.
In fact, no student in sight, then he got a text on his pager from Ruslan.
Ruslan: The firewood place.
Tamlin rushed there quickly, and he was surprised to find all the students there, circled around someone.
Lorraine is there too. Her guards covered her head with an umbrella as she sat poignantly.
Tamlin broke into the circle, and his eyes widened when he saw Twilight.
She's with an axe in the middle of so many firewoods, and her palms are bleeding so much.
She has been trying to split the firewoods for over an hour now, but no success.
She couldn't even split one.
Rihannon, Echo and Damien are all helpless as they stared in the crowd of students since Lorraine ordered that no one must help.
Even in hundred years, it's obvious Twilight won't be able to split one, talk more of twelve.
"Cancel the punishment, mother! Are you trying to kill her? She's still new face Satan's sake!" Tamlin roared.
"What do you mean cancel? It's interesting" Imogen replied.
"Free her!" Tamlin told Lorraine again, ignoring Imogen.
"Sinners won't go unpunished, Tamlin" Lorraine replied without blinking, then Tamlin walked briskly to Twilight, the rain drenching him too.
He tried taking the axe from her, but she pushed his chest back with her bloody right palm.
She's so powerless that he didn't even feel the push.
"Move, I don't need your help" she said stubbornly.
"Are you gonna stay arrogant till the end? It doesn't suit a poor girl like you so just give me the damn axe!" He glared.
Twilight pushed him again.
"I said leave me alone!" She glared back despite her bleeding palms.
Tamlin looked at the palms before nodding.
"Fine, kill yourself" he said and began walking away.
Twilight raised the axe up again, but it landed back on the wood with low energy.
She couldn't split anything.
Why is the voice not talking to her right now?
Why is is not helping?
Why is this happening when this is only her second day in the school?
She was starting to stagger as she raised the axe again, but again, she split nothing out.
"No this is shitty" Damien made to go to her, but Rihannon pulled him back.
"Do you want Lady Lorraine's anger? Don't make her punishment worse" she said.
Echo couldn't even talk, she's just staring pitifully at Twilight.
The three are the only ones with no umbrella in the crowd.
The axe suddenly fell from Twilight, and she nearly fainted with it, but then it suddenly came.
The voice.
_Look at the right_
Her hope got rekindled, and she snapped her head up, looking at the right direction.
Everyone has different colours of umbrella over their heads, but just one color stood out.
The yellow one...it's the only yellow, and it's covering the head of none other than Slade!
Her eyes met his whiskey eyes under his umbrella, and that instant, she couldn't explain it.
It's like the meeting of their eyes awakened a beast inside of her, cos she picked up the axe immediately.
She raised it and brought it down on the first wood.
The wood shattered to bits as if hit by a rock, and everyone gasped out.
Lorraine's eyes darkened with shock too as Twilight moved to the second wood, splitting it so easily like the first one.
"What's going on?" Imogen muttered.
Even Tamlin turned back, and he couldn't believe his eyes.
"She's doing it!" Echo jumped.
"This is..." Damien said speechlessly.
"Mad" Rihannon finished for him.
It only took ten minutes to split the twelve large woods, and Twilight dropped the axe immediately.
The metal hit the rain puddles and splashed water around her.
Slade smiled with a side of his devoid face and left the place immediately.
* What the hell!!!
* I knew she's a witch!!!
* Who does that? I'm scared!!!
A smile of victory graced Twilight's lips as she began walking to Lorraine.
Imogen quickly blocked her.
"Stay back!" She snapped.
"Move" Twilight glared.
Imogen almost slapped her, but Tamlin intervened, grabbing Imogen's hand.
Twilight finally got
to Lorraine.
She rested her bloody palms on Lorraine's chair arms before leaning down to her daringly.
Lorraine stayed still, looking at her eyeball to eyeball.
"Is there more wood for me? Bring them out" Twilight said, boldly.